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What Can You Do With an English Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: An English degree is not attached to one occupation. Graduates cluster in editorial work (editors, $77,920; technical writers, $90,390; writers and authors, $76,910), in communications and marketing (public relations specialists, $74,750; market research analysts and marketing specialists, $78,760), and in teaching (secondary school teachers at $72,040 requiring a state license; postsecondary English teachers at $78,760 requiring graduate study). Median annual wages are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS. The degree supplies analysis and writing; you supply the industry.
English trains close reading, research, and sustained written argument. Those skills are real and they are also unnamed in job postings, which is why the honest version of this page is a map of where graduates land rather than a promise about what the major unlocks. Only two of the occupations below have a hard credential gate, and neither gate is the English degree itself: secondary teaching requires a state license, and postsecondary teaching requires a graduate degree.
Jobs you can get with an English degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Technical writer | $90,390 |
| English language and literature teacher, postsecondary | $78,760 |
| Market research analyst and marketing specialist | $78,760 |
| Editor | $77,920 |
| Writer and author | $76,910 |
| Public relations specialist | $74,750 |
| Secondary school teacher | $72,040 |
| Librarian and media collections specialist | $68,270 |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 87,200/yr |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 66,200/yr |
| Public Relations Specialists | 27,600/yr |
| Librarians and Media Collections Specialists | 13,500/yr |
| Writers and Authors | 13,400/yr |
| Editors | 9,800/yr |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 5,100/yr |
| Technical Writers | 4,500/yr |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. Several of these occupations include substantial freelance and contract work, and self-employed earnings are not reflected the same way as salaried wages.
Technical writer. The highest-paying occupation on this list and the smallest. Technical writers produce documentation, help systems, procedures, and API references for software, engineering, medical, and scientific organizations. The national median annual wage was $90,390 with a range from $57,440 at the 10th percentile to $145,270 at the 90th (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 56,400 in 2024 with 0.9 percent projected change through 2034 and 4,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). An English degree alone rarely gets you in; what does is a documentation portfolio plus some domain literacy. See technical communication for the degree built for this work.
Editor. Editors shape, correct, and approve other people’s writing: developmental editing of structure, line editing, copyediting against a house style, and managing publications. The national median annual wage was $77,920 with a range from $41,250 at the 10th percentile to $153,700 at the 90th (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 115,800 in 2024, projected to change 0.6 percent through 2034, with 9,800 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). This is the occupation most directly downstream of an English major, and the path into it is covered on how to become an editor.
Writer and author. Novelists, poets, screenwriters, staff writers, and a wide band of commercial authorship. The national median annual wage was $76,910 with a range from $44,310 at the 10th percentile to $139,870 at the 90th (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 135,400 in 2024, projected to grow 3.6 percent through 2034, with 13,400 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). A large share of this occupation is self-employed, and freelance income is variable. For original literary work specifically, the training degree is creative writing.
Market research analyst and marketing specialist. Far and away the largest opening count here: 87,200 per year, with employment of 941,700 in 2024 and 6.7 percent projected growth through 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The national median annual wage was $78,760 with a range from $43,390 at the 10th percentile to $155,480 at the 90th (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). English graduates do enter this field, usually through the content and communications side. The analyst side expects statistics, survey design, and comfort with data tools, so take that coursework if this is the target. See marketing.
Public relations specialist. Writing and placing an organization’s messages: releases, statements, briefing material, media relationships. The national median annual wage was $74,750 with a range from $44,110 at the 10th percentile to $135,150 at the 90th (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 315,900 in 2024, projected to grow 4.8 percent through 2034, with 27,600 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The hiring test is usually a writing test. See communications.
Secondary school teacher. Teaching English in a middle or high school is the most common single destination for English majors, and it is gated. You need a state teaching license: a state-approved preparation program, supervised student teaching, and state exams. The national median annual wage was $72,040 with a range from $48,780 at the 10th percentile to $107,600 at the 90th (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 1,094,500 in 2024, with a projected decline of 1.6 percent through 2034 but 66,200 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) – a shrinking occupation that still hires heavily because it is enormous and turnover is high. See the education program guide.
English language and literature teacher, postsecondary. The academic path, requiring at minimum a master’s for community college work and normally a doctorate for tenure-track positions. The national median annual wage was $78,760 with a range from $48,270 at the 10th percentile to $137,250 at the 90th (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 72,200 in 2024 with 0.0 percent projected change through 2034 and 5,100 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Adjunct and non-tenure-track work is much of what is available.
Librarian and media collections specialist. Usually requires a master’s in library and information science, not an English degree, though English is a common undergraduate feeder. The national median annual wage was $68,270 with a range from $43,660 at the 10th percentile to $103,990 at the 90th (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 142,100 in 2024, projected to grow 1.7 percent through 2034, with 13,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). See library science.
What the degree level changes
The online bachelor’s in English is the general four-year credential plus the reading and writing training. It is what employers in the editorial, communications, and marketing lanes are looking at, and it is sufficient for all of them. What it does not do is name an industry, which is why pairing it with a minor, a certificate, or a portfolio matters more here than in vocational majors.
The online master’s in English changes exactly three things: it is the usual minimum for community college teaching, it is recognized on some school district salary schedules, and it is the standard preparation for doctoral study. It does not make you a stronger candidate for most editing or writing jobs, which hire on samples.
Two of the highest-value moves are lateral rather than vertical. If documentation is the target, add technical writing coursework and build a portfolio. If teaching is the target, the license is the credential, and it has to come from a state-approved program.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with an English degree?
Editing, technical writing, writing and authorship, public relations, marketing and communications, secondary teaching with a state license, postsecondary teaching with a graduate degree, and library work with a library science master’s. Common titles include copyeditor, content editor, technical writer, communications specialist, content strategist, and English teacher.
How much do English majors make?
It depends entirely on which lane. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 OEWS national medians for the associated occupations run from $68,270 for librarians and media collections specialists to $90,390 for technical writers, with editors at $77,920 and writers and authors at $76,910 in between, and secondary school teachers at $72,040. There is no single “English major salary.”
Can you teach English with just an English degree?
Not in a public school. You need a state teaching license, which requires a state-approved educator preparation program, supervised student teaching, and state exams on top of the subject degree. Private schools and tutoring set their own requirements, and college teaching requires graduate study.
Which of these careers pays best?
Technical writing carries the highest national median at $90,390 – ahead of postsecondary English teaching and market research at $78,760 each and editing at $77,920 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). But technical writing has only 4,500 openings per year while market research has 87,200 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The highest median is not the widest door.
Is an English degree worth it?
It is worth it if you use it to build demonstrable writing and analysis, and if you attach a second thing to it that names an industry. It is a poor bet if you expect the major itself to produce job offers. The is an English degree worth it page walks through the trade-offs.
Keep exploring
- Start at the English program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Walk through how to become an editor, or weigh the trade-offs on is it worth it.
- Find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: creative writing, professional writing, journalism, liberal arts, and technical communication.
Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.